Hydrogen Storage Solution May Improve Cartilage Preservation in Lab Tests
Storage solution containing hydrogen improves the preservation effect of osteochondral allograft
Research hubs: Musculoskeletal System
This research was done on cells or tissue in a lab, not in people or animals.
- Evidence type
- Laboratory study (cells or tissue)
- Authors
- Yunning Han, Pengwei Qu, Kaihong Zhang, Yikang Bi, Lu Zhou, Di Xie, Hongqiang Song, Jun Dong, Jianhong Qi
- Journal
- Cell and Tissue Banking
- Year
- 2019
- PMID
- 30806876
- Study Type
- Pig
- Participants
- 60
- Delivery
- Solution (Dissolved)
- Dose
- Hydrogen-enriched DMEM solution at concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mmol/L for 28 days storage
- H₂ concentration
- 0.2 mmol/L, 0.4 mmol/L, 0.8 mmol/L
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 6 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Adding hydrogen to the storage solution helps keep cartilage grafts healthier over time.
Key Finding
Tissue stored in hydrogen-enriched solution showed significantly higher cell survival and better preservation of cartilage structure compared to tissue stored without hydrogen, with benefits increasing at higher hydrogen concentrations.
Summary
Researchers tested whether adding hydrogen gas to a storage solution could help preserve cartilage and bone tissue taken from pig knees that might be used for transplants. They stored tissue samples in solutions with different amounts of hydrogen for 28 days and measured how many cells survived and how well the cartilage structure was preserved. Tissue stored in solutions with higher hydrogen concentrations (especially 0.8 mmol/L) showed better cell survival and better preservation of cartilage components compared to tissue stored without hydrogen.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage laboratory study in pig tissue, not human research, so it cannot yet tell us whether hydrogen water would benefit human health. The findings suggest hydrogen may have protective properties during tissue storage, which could eventually have applications in transplant medicine, but much more research—including human studies—would be needed before any health claims could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
As an ideal antioxidant and anti-apoptotic substance, hydrogen (H2) has protective effects on many isolated organs, such as the heart, lung and kidney. In this study, we explore whether H2 improves the preservation effect of osteochondral allograft by adding it to Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium…